1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates generally to electric meter boxes and other like utility: equipment enclosures, and is concerned in particular with an improved lock assembly for preventing unauthorized access to the interiors of such boxes.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is known to provide lock assemblies with exterior caps having lips that overlap and thus prevent unauthorized opening of meter box covers. Many of those lock assemblies, such as for example those described in U.S. Pat. No. 4,107,959 (Skarzynski et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,120,182 (Michelman et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,144,729 (Nielsen); U.S. Pat. No. 4,475,365 (Swisher); and U.S. Pat. No. 5,315,849 (Georgopoulos) are fixed in place by means of bolts extending through holes in the side walls of the meter boxes. This complicates installation, requiring the use of hand tools to drill or punch out the required bolt holes, and requires workmen to reach into the box interiors to tighten the bolts during installation.
Other lock assemblies, such as those disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,031,732 (Michelman et al.); U.S. Pat. No. 4,080,811 (Nielsen) and U.S. Pat. No. 4,096,718 (Michelman et al.) avoid piercing the meter box side walls, relying instead on mounting brackets that overlap the upper edges of the side walls and that are secured in place by retaining screws bearing directly against the interiors of the side walls. Experience has shown, however, that the retaining screws are vulnerable to being bent or frictionally dislodged when external components of the lock assemblies are hammered, pried or otherwise forced by those seeking to gain unauthorized access to the box interiors. The Mounting brackets are thus loosened and ultimately disengaged from the box side walls, resulting in failure of the lock assemblies.
Attempts to force the lock assemblies can also overly stress and thus defeat the barrel locks used to interconnect lock assembly components.
The objective of the present invention is to avoid the above-noted problems by providing an improved lock assembly that is easy to install without having to employ tools to drill, punch or otherwise breach the side wall of the meter box, and that once installed, is highly resistant to being dislodged or otherwise compromised by those seeking to gain unauthorized access to the box interior.
The lock assembly of the present invention is designed for use on an electric meter box or other like enclosure having a bottom wall, a side wall, and a cover that may be opened to gain access to the box interior, and that when closed, overlaps an upper edge of the side wall. The lock assembly includes a -mounting bracket having first and second mutually spaced flanges integrally joined by an intermediate web. A jaw is mechanically interengaged with and carried by the mounting bracket for movement between the first and second flanges. The bracket is configured and dimensioned for mounting on the side wall, with its intermediate web interposed between the cover and the upper edge of the side wall, and with its first flange and the movable jaw located respectively adjacent exterior and interior surfaces of the side wall. A manually adjustable device, for example a screw, is threaded through the second flange and serves to secure the bracket in place by urging the jaw towards the first flange to clamp the box side wall therebetween. A cap with a lip overlapping the cover coacts in interlocked engagement with the thus secured bracket.
These and other features and advantages of the present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: